Man dies following crash between car and lorry on A47 in King’s Lynn

The Scene of an accident approaching the Pullover Roundabout King's Lynn involving a car and lorry

Published:13:04Sunday 10 December 2017

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A man has died following a collision between a car and a lorry on the A47 between two major Lynn junctions.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, which happened between the Pullover and Saddlebow roundabouts on Friday morning, and led to major traffic problems around the town.

Police say a grey Mercedes A 180 and a Scania lorry were involved in the crash, which happened at around 11.30am.

The driver of the Mercedes, a man in his 50s, suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he died later that day.

Officers want to hear from anyone who may have seen what happened, or either of the vehicles involved in the crash prior to it.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the serious collision investigation team at Wymondham on the non-emergency 101 number.

The A47 was closed for several hours as emergency crews dealt with the aftermath of the crash, leading to widespread jams in the surrounding area.

On Friday afternoon, the Lynx bus company said one of its buses had taken 50 minutes to get from the bus station to the St James swimming pool, while another driver said it took her around an hour and 40 minutes to get from Sainsburys to Wootton Road alone.

A performance of Jack and the Beanstalk, this year’s pantomime at the Lynn Corn Exchange, was also delayed by at least 45 minutes to help people get through the traffic to the venue.

Ticket holders who were unable to get to the show are being encouraged to contact the venue’s box office on 01553 764864 to exchange their tickets for an alternative performance.

The incident happened close to the ongoing roadworks at the Saddlebow interchange, which have themselves been the cause of significant delays for drivers heading into Lynn at peak times since they began in October.

Engineers have again defended their handling of the project, following calls for more to be done to help keep the traffic moving.

County councillor Alexandra Kemp has repeated her demand for temporary traffic lights to be installed on the Pullover roundabout, which she says will help to reduce jams on surrounding routes.

She said: “This is the busy Christmas shopping season and it is vital to keep Lynn accessible for local business.

“Highways England is not helping the local economy as much as it should be.”

But a Highways England spokesman said: “We’re doing all we can to keep traffic moving in and around the A47 near Kings Lynn while we repair these accident damaged bridges.

“We’ve been in touch regularly with Cllr Kemp and will respond to her points directly.”